Fernando Rodney delivers a pitch for the Angels last season. KEVIN SULLIVAN, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

PEORIA, Ariz. – On the mound, people aren't happy to see Fernando Rodney pitching. The beard hangs from his chin like an icicle. His barrel-shaped body is capable of throwing a baseball more than 95 miles per hour.

And his hat is tilted further left than Michael Moore, Bill Maher and Keith Olbermann combined.

Inside the clubhouse, though, it's hard to get a read on exactly who Rodney is. At times, he sits in his locker, not saying a word, with a look of incredible focus cemented on his face. At other times, he's making spot-on animal noises, making the locker room sound like a barnyard. There is the Marvin the Martian impersonation and bird calls that leave Rodney's teammates smiling — and shaking their heads.

Vernon Wells, who has faced Rodney four times and doubled off him twice, didn't like facing Rodney despite the success.

"He almost hit me in the head every time I faced him," Wells said, jokingly. "I didn't really like him too much, to be honest."

And now that they share a clubhouse?

"I heard he's a little crazy," Wells said.

It might be true, but crazy in a fun way. One teammate described Rodney as someone he would believe almost anything about.

But Rodney's eccentricities aren't without cause or root.

The tilted hat came out of winter ball in the Dominican Republic during 2002, when a few teammates suggested he wear his hat with the brim even more crooked than baseball fans would recognize.

"I thought, 'why not try it?'" Rodney said. "I knew I could do it in winter ball and in the World Baseball Classic because there aren't many rules. Here, I straighten it out a little."

As an added bonus, Rodney said the crooked hat can confuse baserunners.

"Sometimes, the runner thinks I'm looking at him, and sometimes I'm not really paying too much attention to him. I'm focused more on the hitter," he said. "But with my hat like that, it looks like my head's turned."

Asked about all the different noises he makes, Rodney lets out a deep chuckle, "Ha, ha, ha."

"When you younger, you do a lot of things. When you live in my country, you make a lot of sounds," Rodney said. "My father, before he passed away, had a lot of animal voices. He'd do a cow , horse, sheep. ... I do them now because people like them. I think the kids really like sounds. Sometimes when I do it to the kids, they start laughing."

The Angels are counting on Rodney to compete for the closer's job this spring, hoping he can baffle hitters the same way he baffles his teammates.

"He's in his own world," starter Ervin Santana said. "I look around in here, and I don't see nobody like him."

NOTES

Angels hitters other than Mark Trumbo finally channeled some power with four homers in a 9-6 victory over San Diego on Tuesday at Peoria Sports Complex.

Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells smacked their first home runs of the spring, going back-to-back in the fourth. Not to be outdone in the inning, Trumbo hit his fifth, despite being off balance and ahead of a breaking ball. Brandon Wood hit his second of the spring in sixth inning.

"We got some good swings on some balls," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "They were all hit well so that's a good sign. It was good to see Torii and Vernon square some balls up."

Scioscia said Trumbo didn't "get all of it" despite driving the ball deep over the left-field wall.

"It just shows how strong he is," Scioscia said. ...

Starter Joel Pineiro wasn't sharp in 4 innings, giving up eight hits and four earned runs, but both Scioscia and Pineiro weren't overly concerned with the end result.

"A lot of balls were up. You could definitely see the consequences of that," Pineiro said. "But I definitely threw a lot more off-speed stuff than I think I would throw in a normal game."

Pineiro said he hasn't thrown a lot of sliders and changeups so far this spring, and Tuesday's emphasis on the pitches was designed to get him ready to use them in the regular season.

"I still have to execute them better," Pineiro said. ...

Maicer Izturis (undisclosed stiffness), Peter Bourjos (groin) and Hunter (thumb) all returned to the lineup after missing games over the weekend. ...

Hunter said his bruised thumb is still "not good," but he felt he needed to play in order to keep his timing. He suffered the injury after getting jammed by inside pitches on consecutive days. ...

First baseman Kendrys Morales ran on dirt for the first time, but he didn't go full speed going from home to first. He still has not taken a turn from first. ...

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.